Folding wardrobe, cupboard, and the like



.m w 1 x 2 n 5, s 1. u hmm I L2 E H T D .N5 l2 T NMS, f Owl JUe C A. f x \`.N( E CMM Di MF W m m O F 6 2 9 1. 9 um u March 9 1926s c. A. JONES FOLDING WARDROBE, CUPBOARD. AND THE LIKE Filed June 18, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 'I I I lauf) Patented Mar. 9, 1926.

UNIT'ED TES CHARLES ALLAN JONES; OF' GLOUGESTER, ENGIJAND':

ApplicationA led Jnlre 18, 19252 To.V all whom t muy 00a-cera; l

Be4 it. known that I, CHARLES ALLAN- rJoints7 a subject "of thee King of Great Brit` ain7 residing atBohanam House, Barnwooda Road, Gloucester, England, have invented.

Improvements inI or Relating to Folding-. V-Vardrobes, Gnpboards, and; the like, ofwhich the following is a specification..

M'y inventioni is` for improvements. in or relating to folding wardrobes7 cupboards, and the like, and hasifor its objectthe provisionof an article of furniture or structure ofthis character which: shall be simple4 and cheap to manufacture, strong and rigid when set up roomy and. eiiicient inuse, adapted tocollapse substantially flat intoa minimum space for storage or transport when not required in use,. andi whichy can. be set upr or dismantled with. great. facility and Without the necessity for skilled labor of any kind.

According to this invention there is provided. a: folding wardrober cupboard. or the like which comprises. an upright back or foundation member, a. pair of side members hingledly carried by. said back., av pair of front. door. members hingedlycarried by said sides, top and. bottom members hingedly carried: by said`.back so as. to be adapted; for rebated' engagement. with. said sides, and. a pair of front'. flap members hingedly carried by said top and bottom. members. so. as torbe adapted. for 'rebated engagement with said sides and with the upper and lower edges of sai'd` doors,.and` means for fastening the varioushilngedf members in their open position. of` use, the arrangement being such that the various hinged members are adapted to fold insubstantially flat superposed relation upon said back member as a. foundation..

The invention further provides a construction, as setI forth inthe preceding para..- graph, wherein the parts are. secured in their position of use. by screw devices carried' by said top and bottom front, 'Hap members.

The invention still further provides a. construction, as set' forth inthe last preceding paragraph, wherein the hinge joints'for the doors include intermediate hinge strips, which hinge strips have oppositely disposed sets of hinges and are adapted for fastening engagement with said screw devices.

The invention still further provides a folding wardrobe or lile construction, as. set forth in, any of the three last preceding paragraphs, whichcomprises in addition a combinedi detachable hanger. and stay rod. des vice,

Ifnonder thatfmy invention may befclearly understood and readily carried into. practi`ce reference may be had to. t-he appendrni` drawings upon which Figurezl isfan; elevation in perspectivev of a. folding wardrobe; in accordance with= the. invention,I showing the same set up in its position ofuse.,

Figurev 2. is a sectiional side: elevation of the samei.

Figure 3L is. a sectionalr plan ofthel same..

Figure. 4. is. a sectional side elevation. of the. wardrobe in` its collapsed and folded position.

Figure 5 is a. sectional plan ofi the same.

Figure 6 is a. detail frontv elevation of an upper front. corner joint ofV the. wardrobe.

Figure 7. is aside elevation. of Figure 6g in section. on the. linex Z--7v thereof...

Figure S is a plan of Figure 6; in section on. the line 8 8 thereof.

Figure 9 isa detail sectional plan ot. a fronty side. joint. of thev wardrobe.

Figure; l0, is. an internalv detail view of a catch member as. appliedtoI one of the doors;

Figure ll'. i's, an elenration in perspective of a. combined; hanger. and. stay. rod device for the wardrobe as hereinafter. referred to:v

in ai convenient. embodiment of the invention, as appliedV to a folding.. wardrobe or. the lil-im, an. upstanding back or foundation member a ofv rectangular. framed@ conF structionis j orovided7 having. forwardly projecting. fixedl hinge stripsy b3 and. 51 at its top and. bottom. edges respectively; To the upright side edges of. this back` member a, within the top. and bottom. hXed hinge. strips and 61g are hinged4 respectively on inward hinges. c' and c1 a. pair of side. members d and di, also ofV rectangular fnanred constructionu 'llo the uprightouter or forward edgesy of. these side members Z and. Z1 are hinged respectively az pair of front; door members e and el of rectangular framed or other constru'ctiom of a length somewhat less. than. that of,` the hinged. sides d and Z1 so as to terminate. at short distances: from the top. and bottomy thereof. These hinge joints t for the doors.r are. of. a, character adapt.- ed to permit of'a hinging movement through an angle of`ZTO`Oto therebyr enable the pair of'. doors. e. and el' to be swung outwardly from their aligned position of use intoy exlino ternal facial relation to the side members cZ and Z1 by which they are respectively carried, for this purpose the hinge joints being of twin formation, that is to say, in-

cluding narrow intermediate bevelled hinge strips f and f1 respectively, with hinges g and g1 in oppositely disposed sets on the respective hinge strips. 4

To the forward edge of the fixed hinge strip Z) at the upper end of the back or foundation member L is hinged on downward hinges ZL a top or cover member z' of rectangular formation, this top member z' being internally rebated along its side edges as at j and j1 for jointing engagement with the upper edges of the respective side members Z and (Z1. To the forward or outer edge of this top member z' is hinged on downward hinges 7c an upper front flap member Z of comparatively narrow rectangular formation, this fiap member Z being internally rebated at each end as at m (Figures 6 to 8) for jointing engagement with the front edges of the respective side members Z and Z1 and with the upper ends of the respective hinge strips f and f1, and being externally rebated alonguits lower or outer edge as at n for jointing engagement with the upper edges of the pair of doors e and c1, the said upper front flap member Z thereby constituting a kind of hinged transom for the doors.

To the forward edge of the fixed hinge strip b1 at the lower end of the back or foundation member a is hinged on upward hinges h1 a base member 1 of similar form to the top or cover member z', this base member 1 having hinged to kits forward edge on upward hinges 701 a lower front flap member Z1 of similar form to the upper front flap member Z, this base member 1 being adapted for rebated engagement at o and 01 with the pair of side members Z and d1, and the lower front flap member Z1 being adapted to provide a kind of rebated sill for the pair of doors e and e1. The upper and lower front fiap members Z and Zl are each adapted to carry a pair of fastening devices, one at each end, consisting for example of a` simple screw p adapted to pass through the flap and into a striking plate g provided within the rebated upper end of the corresponding hinge strip f or f1, or alternatively consisting of a suitable bolt and thumb-screw device.

The wardrobe or the like, when set up in its position of use, as shown in Figures l to 3, is adapted to be secured simply by an adjustment of the four screw fastenings p. Vhen the structure is required to be folded up, the fastenings p are released, the doors e and e1 are folded outwardly upon the sides cZ and cZ1, the cover z' and base 1 are slightly opened, and the folded sides Z and Z1 and doors e and e1 are then infolded upon the back or foundation a, the cover i and base 1 being finally folded down upon the facially superposed doors e and e1, sides Z and d1, and back a, the entire structure being thus disposed in substantially fiat rectangular formation, as shown in Figures 4: and 5, so as to occupy a minimum space for storage or transport.

A combined hanger and stay rod r may be fitted longitudinally within the upper part of the wardrobe, this rod being deta-chably secured, together with external hooks s, by means of terminal nuts t, andk being additionally supported at an intermediate point by means of a folding lug u having a pivoted suspension from a slotted plate v fixed to the inner face of the top or cover member z'. The doors e and e1 may be provided respectively with catch lw and lock In the case of a cupboard or the like where shelves are required, these may be detachably fitted, or they may be hingedly carried by the back or foundation member, in which latter case the hinged joints of the side members may be suitably raised, for example by forwardly project-ing fixed hinge strips, to provide for the extra depth of the superposed parts when collapsed and folded up.

rlhe invention, although mainly applicable to wardrobes, cupboards, and like articles of furniture, may be readily adapted to poultry houses and like structures of collapsible or folding type, the construction in this case being suitablyk modified to provide for the usual inclined roof.

lVhat I claim as my invention and desire to secured by Letters Patent is `1. A folding wardrobe, cupboard, or the like which comprises, in combination, an upright back or foundation member, a pair of side members hingedly carried by said back, a pair of front door members hingedly carried by said sides, top and bottom members hingedly carried by said back so as to be adapted for rebated engagement with said sides, a pair of front flap members hingedly carried by said top and bottom members so as to be adapted for rebated engagement with said sides and with the upper and lower edges of said doors, and means for fastening the various hinged members in their open position of use, the arrangement being such that the various hinged members are adapted to fold in substantially fiat superposed relation upon said back member as a foundation.

2. A folding wardrobe, cupboard, or the like as specified in claim l, wherein the parts are secured in their position of use by screw devices carried by said top and bottom front flap members. Y

8. A folding wardrobe, cupboard, or the like as specified in claim l wherein the parts like, as specified in claim 1, wherein the parts are secured in their position of use by means carried by said top and bottom front flap members7 and comprising in addition a combined detachable hanger and stay rod device.

In witness whereof I have hereunto Set my hand.

CHARLES ALLAN JONES. 

